News Desk – Khaleda Zia’s life closely reflected the troubled history of Bengal. Born during the final days of British rule, her journey was marked by displacement, violence, political struggle, and unfinished hopes.
She was born on August 15, 1945, in Jalpaiguri, just before India’s Partition. Two years later, her family was forced to leave their home and cross new borders created during Partition. Like millions of others, they moved to what later became East Pakistan, settling in Dinajpur. From an early age, Khaleda experienced the pain of loss and displacement.
During the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, Khaleda stayed home caring for her two young sons. Meanwhile, her husband, Major Ziaur Rahman, played a key role in the independence movement. On March 27, 1971, he announced Bangladesh’s independence through a radio broadcast from Chittagong. His message gave direction and hope to a nation in chaos.
After nine months of war, Bangladesh became independent in December 1971. But peace did not follow. Political instability, military influence, and violence continued to haunt the new nation.
In August 1975, Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family were assassinated in a military coup. Soon after, Ziaur Rahman was caught in a series of coups and counter-coups. At one point, he was placed under house arrest, then freed by mutinous soldiers. Later, he returned to power, crushed dissent, and eventually became President in 1977. In 1978, he formed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Tragedy struck again on May 30, 1981, when Ziaur Rahman was assassinated during a failed military uprising. At just 35, Khaleda Zia was widowed. Her personal loss mirrored Bangladesh’s repeated cycle of political violence.
Following another military takeover in 1982, Khaleda entered politics. Despite being arrested several times, she became a leading voice against military rule. After democratic elections in 1991, she became Prime Minister.
Khaleda served two terms as Prime Minister, but political stability remained elusive. Her rivalry with Sheikh Hasina dominated Bangladesh’s politics for decades. Their bitter struggle, often called the battle of the “Begums,” paralysed governance and deepened political divisions.
Over the years, Bangladesh’s democracy weakened. Political rivals were jailed, elections were questioned, and power became a tool to silence opponents. Khaleda herself spent years imprisoned and was denied medical treatment abroad.
In August 2024, a student-led uprising brought down Sheikh Hasina’s government. Khaleda was freed and later cleared of charges in January 2025. Though weak and unwell, she prepared to return to politics ahead of the February 2026 elections, with her party seen as a strong contender.
But she never got that chance.
Khaleda Zia died on December 30, 2025, at the age of 80. She passed away before completing her long political journey much like Bangladesh itself, still struggling to escape its cycle of unrest.
Her life was shaped by Partition, war, coups, rivalry, and resistance. In many ways, Khaleda Zia became a symbol of East Bengal’s pain living through its history, but never seeing its peace.
